Video Trumps Social Media for Marketing
Published January 30, 2012
Social media has really received all the attention from marketers for some time now, and rightly so. But video actually trumps social media in a number of important ways:
• First, more internet users watch online videos – 62 percent –than use social media networking sites – 46 percent according to research by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
• Also, YouTube is the second biggest search engine after Google. That tells you how most people prefer to receive information – through a visual story. And online video is much more likely to be discovered via search engines than social media posts.
• Video provides more analytical data on who is watching and how long. Social media sites provide very little data on who is reading posts and how long they are engaged.
• Video is a passive, visceral experience, so people are more likely to view ads or be motivated to do something. When they are engaged in social media, they are immersed in social dialogue so advertising is an interruption.
• And finally, with video, you can more easily control your message.
These are just a few reasons video trumps social media for marketing.
Video Killed the Radio Star
Published December 12, 2011
According to new research released in a recent eMarketer article, radio and print continue to decline in U.S. adult consumer viewing time. Meanwhile, television viewing, online video viewing and mobile viewing are on the rise. However, the shift in money spent on advertising in these mediums lags behind the actual consumption of media.
This new data serves to reinforce the shift that people are making in their entertainment and shopping choices to screens over printed material. People want to be entertained and told a story with visual imagery, even if it’s a story about how to use your product or service.
82% of B2B Marketers Rely on Content Marketing
Published October 24, 2011A recent article in Entrepreneur explains why content marketing is king. The article quotes research by HiveFire that found that an impressive 82 percent of B2B marketers now employ content marketing as a strategy in their marketing programs. Coming in at a distant second place is search engine marketing at 70 percent, followed by events at 68 percent, public relations at 64 percent and print/TV/radio advertising at 32 percent.
The article goes on to say that “part of the popularity of content marketing is its ability to generate qualified leads while engaging prospects in a branded environment without busting the budget.”
Further proof that content marketing is an important component in a B2B marketing strategy.
Building Your Brand through Online Video
Published October 16, 2011A recent article in the Twin Cities Business Journal titled “Seen on Site” by Gene Rebeck walks readers through Red Wing shoes decision to use online videos to authenticate their brand. Their goal? Tell the story of the Red Wing shoes, an all-American brand, through online videos. Each of the short videos feature Red Wing employees and gives viewers an inside look at the company, showing the shoe and work boot maker’s repair and manufacturing areas.
The result? After the article was published, Red Wing videos were viewed more than 100,000 times. The response rate on Red Wing Facebook posts related to the videos increased 48% in relation to other posts. Web site traffic increased 45% during the days on which the videos were posted. Web site engagement increased by approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
The point is, online videos are a great way to tell your story and build your brand authenticity. Video communicates your company’s personality in a way that written words cannot. Online video branding is a powerful way to engage viewers because:
- It’s memorable.
- It helps differentiate you from the competition.
- Increases your search engine rankings (YouTube is now the second largest search engine behind Google).
- Engages customers so they spend more time on your site.
- Adds authenticity. Your company will come across as real, genuine, personable, trustworthy, honest, human.
Some tips for producing online videos:
- Don’t make it too long. Tell your story in under three minutes.
- If your going to do it, do it right. Make sure your video looks professional. A poorly made video can significantly decrease your brand credibility.
- Keep it simple and to the point. Don’t confuse the audience with too many details. Tell an interesting story.
- Keep it moving. Avoid talking heads and add new images or graphics every few seconds to keep the audience interested.
For more information on the benefits of web video, view our recent video blog, “Why Use Web Video?”
Content Marketing with Video
Published July 28, 2011Many organizations are discovering marketing success and developing a thought leadership position through content marketing with video. While it doesn’t make sense for all businesses, it can be an integral part of a successful marketing strategy.
Content marketing is creating and delivering content that provides value to your prospects. This content can come in many forms, like blogs, email marketing, article marketing, white papers, case studies, micro-sites and mobile apps, but my personal favorite and the hottest trend lately is video, sometimes called video blogs or podcasts. These are short educational pieces that can be rolled out in e-newsletters, social media and of course, your web site. It’s rich content that can be used in many channels for your marketing purposes.
Here’s how it works: Create 8-10 two or three minute videos in one shooting session to maximize efficiency. We recommend using a teleprompter to simplify the delivery. These videos are then edited with simple graphics and a brief intro/outro. Once approved, upload the videos to dozens of video sharing sites with relevant keywords and an accurate description for search engine optimization. We also include a web address where the viewer can go for more information and sign up to receive more. 
The videos should ultimately live on a landing page from your web site, specific to a particular topic. Your web visitors—and search engines—favor rich content and video with relevant, useful information.
So where do you get your topics? Easy. Take the top ten questions your clients and prospects ask you on a regular basis and answer them in two or three minute pieces. Show, don’t just tell. Use case studies or client narratives. Be brief, accurate and relevant. Provide attribution for your sources. Think like a journalist, and publish meaningful content that anyone can understand. Avoid jargon and keep it conversational.
It’s important to keep in mind that for content marketing to be effective, it needs to be more educational than promotional, to share information and solve problems, not shill products. Avoid propaganda and invite participation instead.
Once you have a content marketing system in place, you can expand on it and drive new visitors by posting links in relevant forums, discussions, blogs and Linkedin groups. You can re-purpose existing content into different forms. For example, the videos could be re-purposed into podcasts, articles into video blogs, etc.
By doing content marketing through video blogs, you’re adding value and building relationships that will eventually lead to sales. You are also creating content that can be rolled out in many different ways. Content marketing using video differentiates your business and distinguishes you as an expert in your industry, builds trust and burnishes your online reputation. It makes you look genuine, approachable and real. It’s a powerful, 24-7 envoy for your business, stirring conversations, creating further engagement and inviting a connection.
Every business has information for the marketplace of ideas. Provide the marketplace with your ideas on solving their problems and you’ll find customers for life.
Ten Ways to Use Video in PR
Published June 30, 2011In this article by David Murdico on prdaily.com, the author provides a list of ideas for using video in public relations. We’ve been doing broadcast PR for many of the top agencies in town for years, so we can help with many of these ideas, and have a few more of our own:
1) Highlight videos: These quickly summarize the media elements produced for a campaign, including print and broadcast media samples as well as the resulting impressions and the media outlets that used the pieces.
2) Public opinion videos: These man-on-the-street styled videos are great for pitches to demonstrate primary research.
At Master Communications Group, our background in journalism makes us a valuable partner for PR firms that need a vendor that understands the media.
To Outsource or Not, That is the Question
Published June 10, 2011Most business owners encounter this decision on a daily basis: Do you do it yourself for free, or do you outsource it for a fee? All of the little tasks involved with running a business take time. But which costs you more, knowing your time has opportunity costs as well? The trick is knowing the limits of the skill sets in your organization and recognizing your power alleys and your blind spots. Build a rolodex of trusted partners and referral resources to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships.
Survey Proves Good Web Video Generates Leads
Published June 2, 2011The B2B Technology Marketers on LinkedIn conducted a survey recently to better understand the current state of B2B content marketing and identify key challenges as well as best practices. Here are a few of the findings (direct from their results):
- Content marketing is growing dramatically in popularity with over 71 percent of respondents doing more of it than a year ago (in contrast, only 2 percent are doing less).
- The biggest motivator for content marketing is its ability to drive awareness, leads, and engagement with prospects, to compensate where where traditional tactics are falling short.
- The most popular content formats are case studies, presentations at live events, white papers, online articles and videos.
- The biggest challenge: producing truly engaging content.
- The most popular channels to deliver content are website, live events, email.
- The top performance metric for content marketer is leads.
- Corporate marketing owns content marketing in most organizations and spends an average of 20 percent of budget on content marketing.
Check out the full report here and share it:
http://www.slideshare.net/hschulze/b2b-content-marketing-report
Survey results posted and shared by Holger Schulze
http://www.linkedin.com/in/productmarketingexpert
Good Web Videos Need More Than Talking Heads
Published May 8, 2011This recent BNET article explains why you need more than simply talking head videos on your web site to really engage your audience. Video needs full imagery to support the content and keep the attention of the audience.
Email Marketing isn’t Dead
Published May 1, 2011Here’s a good article on email marketing from copyblogger. As the article states, using a strong content marketing approach, email is more powerful than ever thanks to social media.
Adding video to your emails is especially effective…let us show you how.
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